UK sanctions Russian and Iranian officials, citing human rights abuses

FILE PHOTO: British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly speaks during an interview with Reuters at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in London, Britain, November 22, 2022. REUTERS/Toby Melville

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain on Friday announced sanctions against 30 people worldwide, including Russian and Iranian officials, targeting those it deems responsible for acts of torture, sexual violence, and the violent repression of street protests.

The move came a day after France announced plans for new European Union sanctions against Iran over human rights abuses in its security crackdown on popular unrest there as well as its supply of drones to Russia before Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.